To be scholarly in teaching, teachers must first identify their epistemologies regarding their teaching craft. This process may be initiated by being self-reflective, or critically reflexive, leading to the development of a personal teaching philosophy statement. A teaching philosophy statement may contain the following components:
- Personal conception of teaching and learning
- Theoretical underpinnings that support one’s personal conception of teaching and learning
- Examples that illustrate how one’s conception of teaching and learning is put into practice
- Evaluation of practice in the context of continuous pedagogical competence
- Improving teaching beyond one’s own practice by sharing one’s practice
Adapted from the CELC Educator Track Workshop organized by the CELC Staff Development Committee (3rd May 2017)
In formulating one’s teaching philosophy, Wu (2016) recommends the use of metaphors or the use of citations as a way for illustration or support. Wegner and Nückles (2015) further elaborate that the use of metaphor allows different angles concerning the process of teaching and learning, leading to a better conceptualization of epistemologies that undergird one’s teaching beliefs. Finding similarities in other scholarly pursuits through resonance of experiences is another way to better comprehend one’s teaching philosophy. Specifically, when writing a teaching philosophy, please be sure to:
- Have a clear and realistic sense of the teaching context
- Highlight critical incidents or appropriate metaphors which contextualizes the teaching philosophy
- Synthesize teaching and learning context with the broader parameters of the institution and the community of practice
Sources Consulted
Goodyear, G. E., & Allchin, D. (1998). Statements of teaching philosophy. In M. Kaplan (Ed.), To Improve the Academy, Vol. 17 (pp. 103-122). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
Schönwetter, D. J., Sokal, L., Friesen, M., & Taylor, K. L. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements. International Journal for Academic Development, 7(1), 83-97.
Pausigere, P., & Graven, M. (2014). Learning metaphors and learning stories (stelos) of teachers participating in an in-service numeracy community of practice. Education as Change, 18(1), 33-46.
Wegner, E., & Nückles, M. (2015). Knowledge acquisition or participation in communities of practice? Academics’ metaphors of teaching and learning at the university. Studies in Higher Education, 40(4), 624-643.
Wu, S. M. (2016). Teaching philosophy statements: How do I develop them?. Asian Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 143-152.
Teaching Philosophy Statement. (2016). Retrieved from http://gradschool.cornell.edu/career-services/teaching-philosophy-statement
Writing a Teaching Philosophy. (2015, February 20). Retrieved from https://cei.umn.edu/support-services/tutorials/writing-teaching-philosophy